she's 18 today.

By request, as is the custom in our family on birthdays, we had sushi for dinner. Abby has been planning this for a year, at least.





Nathan had a piece with extra wasabi... I'll spare you the pictures of him with steam coming out of his ears. Suffice it to say that the rest of us were highly entertained.












What Abby didn't request was any specific kind of birthday cake.



So I (very thoughtfully) stuck with the sushi theme, and made Matcha cake rolls.














Lizzi made her obligatory stereotypical-Japanese-tourist-girl-squee-face during the lighting of the candles.

 And Abby was suitably surprised and pleased.

And the candles-who-do-not-lie told us all that she has 5 boyfriends.

Hmmm.

Oh well... happy birthday, Abby!!

shrove tuesday and other stuff

Whew!! I'm back!

Our two-week run of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is now finished.

I have my life to myself again, and I don't know what to do with it. I've been so focused on the play, and now that it's over, I'm not entirely sure what I'm supposed to be doing.

It was a fabulous experience, though. The acting was all very well done, even the younger kids who were part of it. The costumes and makeup were great. The sense of community that grew up between us all was something that I've rarely experienced before. All almost-40 of us became friends. Truly. And as far as I know, that is not typical within a production.

But, it's over. Time to move on, and get back into a normal life-rhythm.

And today is Shrove Tuesday. Also known as Pancake Tuesday. Because today is the day that, traditionally, we're to use up all of the food that we won't be eating during the 40 days of fasting for Lent. Things like butter and eggs. Hence the pancakes.

Our family tradition doesn't include observing Lent, but I personally have, for the last few years, given up something at this time of year... like sugar, or specific computer activities, or TV. I still haven't decided what it will be this year...

Regardless of that, though, we do eat pancakes for dinner on Shrove Tuesday. A huge stack of crepes, generally. Especially since I found an essentially fool-proof recipe for them.

Basic Crepes
adapted slightly from allrecipes

1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp melted butter

Beat eggs lightly, then mix in milk and water. Gradually whisk in flour and salt to make a smooth batter, then whisk in melted butter.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot. Makes approx 8 crepes.

And that's it. We like to eat them with homemade applesauce, or strawberries and whipped cream, or sugar and lemon juice, or peanut butter and sliced bananas, or maple syrup, or jam... the possibilities are endless. They're even fabulous with a savoury filling - sausage/onion/mushrooms, or creamed chicken, or cheese.

Burns' Night

We celebrated Burns' Night this evening with the traditional Scottish meal... haggis with neeps-and-tatties. There was a green salad thrown in as a nod to good nutrition, but tonight was all about the meat (so-called) and starch.

Mmmmm, yum!

I know, I know. The idea of haggis is very off-putting to many. But really, the notion that some parts of animals aren't fit for eating is a fairly new one.

Our grandparents lived through the Depression years, where waste simply wasn't an option. My parents were immigrants, and couldn't afford to be picky.

Even I, a farm-raised girl of the 70s/80s learned the necessity of not wasting food of any kind.

We ate hearts, gizzards, livers... although I believe my mom drew the line at kidneys. Even chicken-foot soup showed up semi-regularly at our house.

Anyhow... I don't know quite where that little rant came from... this evening we ate haggis. And it was really really good!!

But the piece de resistance of our little meal was dessert. Naturally.

This is Cranachan.

It's kind of an unpronounceable name. Lots of hissing and spitting in the back of your throat. Most Scottish words are like that. Kind of like German.

But I digress. Again.

Sorry.

Cranachan is a heavenly mixture of toasted oats, honey (heather honey, if you can get it) raspberries, and whipped cream.

It's not a diet dessert.

But you should make some and eat it. You won't regret it.

And it's easy, too. You almost don't need a recipe. But I'll try to make one up anyhow. I based mine roughly on several that I found online, and it was amazing.

So here goes:

You'll need:

• 2 oz oatmeal (pinhead if you're in the UK and can get it... I just ran regular rolled oats through the food processor til they were not-quite-flour-sized.) 2 oz, for those who don't have a scale, works out to about 1/2 cup.
• 2 cups cream
• 1 tsp vanilla (or 2 Tbsp whiskey if you're not serving it to children)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries
• up to 1/2 cup honey

Prepare the components:

• Spread oats thinly on a cookie sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven til they're lightly browned and fragrant. Allow to cool before assembling the cranachan.
• Whip the cream with the vanilla (or whiskey) till thickened. Set aside.
• Mash raspberries til they're chunky. Stir in a dollop of honey.

To assemble:

• Spread 1/3 of the cream on the bottom of the serving dish.
• Sprinkle with 1/3 of the toasted oats
• Drizzle with a bit of honey
• Dollop 1/2 of the raspberries on top
• repeat the layers (cream/oats/honey/raspberries)
• Spread with remaining cream
• Use a knife to slice through the layers and marble them lightly. Don't mix too much. Level the cream mixture nicely in the bowl.
• Sprinkle with the remaining oats, and drizzle with some more honey.
• Cover and refrigerate for 1 - 4 hours.

So there you have it. Eat it. Enjoy.

happy wednesday!

It's been fun reading about everyone's plans for the summer... lots of swimming and picnics planned... many babies, and big moves too! I'll be joining in on the swimming and picnics - not so much with the babies or moving!!!

You can find the previous days' giveaways here:

• ePattern from Sense & Sensibility
• fabric baskets via Sew Mama Sew
• Pride & Prejudice scrabble tile

 Today I'm giving away a small blank tag book and an envelope of collageable items to go with it.

For a chance to win, just tell me your favourite quick meal to make when you're in a hurry and everyone is starving to death right before your eyes. (Mine is Greek Red Lentil soup.)

chowder of awesome

There's no photo to go with this recipe... mostly because the soup is gone, but also because chowder doesn't necessarily photograph prettily. The important thing is that the soup was indeed awesomely tasty. Epically awesomely tasty.

I started from the Potato Leek Soup recipe in James Barber's Immodest But Honest Good Eating Cookbook... originally published in 1986, and the first cookbook I ever bought for myself.

6 slices of bacon, chopped
2 onions, chopped
3 (smallish) leeks, sliced
1 cup diced mushrooms
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
3 cups broth
3 cups water
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 can corn
1-2 cups leftover baked salmon (optional)
1 tsp dillweed
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, cook the bacon til crisp and browned. Remove from pan, and drain all but 1 Tbsp fat*. Add onions and leeks, and cook til softened. Stir in mushrooms and cook for a few minutes, then stir in potatoes and carrot, and add broth and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Stir in zucchini and corn, and cook for a further 10 minutes, or til all veggies are cooked. Stir in salmon, dill, reserved bacon pieces and milk; give it a few minutes to heat up again, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with cheesy biscuits, and make about 10 people very happy :)

*I save my bacon fat in a little jar in the fridge (I can't help it... I'm a Mennonite!) and use it for making cornbread. Soooooo good!!!

failure is always an option - days 5-8

It was a busy busy weekend!

I'm working on a test-knit for Kristen... not only will it be a pretty shawl for me, it'll work beautifully as part of my costume in Pride&Prejudice.

More bread was baked. I'm starting to suspect my kids of purposely leaving leftover porridge in the mornings just so that I'll make more bread. It's just that good.

Hearts were crocheted. These are so fun and so cute! Well, actually, I'm not really looking forward to weaving in the ends - I hate doing that. But really, aren't they sweet?

Hot chocolate was drunk. Seriously, this is the best hot chocolate I've ever ever tasted. I like my chocolate spicy, and this stuff has chunks of chili peppers in it. You *can* strain them out, but it's way more exciting to chew them on the way down! It's the Aztec Chocolate spice blend from Made with Love Delectable Edibles. It's made in Kamloops, BC, and I've just recently found a place where I can buy it here in town!!!

A piano was acquired!!!!!!!!!!
I've been keyboard-less for a few months now. This sweet little console piano was given to us by some friends who had no use for it any longer. It had been stored in their atrium, which had also housed their birds... consequently, the inside of the piano was full of mouse nests and birdseed; and all of the felts had been chewed up by the mice. We've ordered replacement parts, and will be restoring the piano. Surprisingly, it's still mostly in tune and has a very nice tone, so I'm excited to have it in good working condition again.

failure is always an option - day 2

I know it's only the second day, but I was amazed by how much I was able to accomplish today. Most of it was just the day-to-day stuff that has to be done anyhow, but which I've been so good at putting off til "later"...

Sunday evening, as I often do, I put a batch of porridge in the crockpot to cook overnight. Most unusually (and probably because I'd also made muffins that evening) the kids didn't eat *any* of it on Monday morning. So there I was, with a whole pot full of porridge. I was certainly not prepared to eat it all myself, so I added the entire mass of it to a batch of bread. Oh. my. gosh. so. good.

I also got started on a wee Valentine's Day project. These are pages from a catalog (Toast, in case you're wondering - it's got gorgeous photos!) that I ripped out, and gessoed (both sides) and painted.

failure is always an option - day 1

I came across this statement the other day...

Failure is always an option.

 ... and I realized that I really do let the fear of failure stop me from doing a lot of things. If I can't get it perfect the first time I try, I shouldn't even make the attempt. Stupid, really. Because who can live up to that standard?

So I've decided that February is going to be my month for doing things. New things, old things... doesn't matter. I need to lose the "what if"s and just do stuff. If it works out, great!!! And if not, well, at least I made the attempt.  My goal is one thing a day... I might fail at that too, we'll see!

One new thing that I've been eying for a while is Macarons. They look fascinating, and complicated, and totally yummy. I had some egg whites sitting in the fridge from a marathon Creme Brulee-making session on the weekend, so I figured that today would be a good day to give it a shot.

I used the recipe from the amazing Helen at Tartelette, and a basic Vanilla Buttercream for the filling.

 Here are the basic ingredients being mixed together: almond meal run through the food processor with icing sugar, and egg whites beaten with granulated sugar. The tricky part here is mixing them enough. I didn't. My batter was still a little thick. Oh well... now I know for next time.

The dough is then piped onto parchment paper, and left to sit for about an hour, so it can develop a bit of a crust on top. Then it's popped (gently!) into the oven to bake. I, of course, pulled up a little chair and sat and watched the entire baking process, so that I could see if my cookies would develop the requisite "feet" underneath. They did! It was very exciting.

Well... most of them did, anyhow. Some of them went all cracked and hollow. But a bit of vanilla buttercream hides a multitude of imperfections. Once they were all sandwiched together (and somehow I had perfect matches for all of them... some big, some little), they all looked good enough to eat.

Enchilada lasagna casserole thingy

This was so yummy, I could've almost eaten the whole panful. Well, I would've been happy to eat the leftovers for a whole week, anyhow.

1-2 pkg small corn tortillas
1 jar salsa
1 tsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp each dried oregano and cumin
1 can refried beans
2-3 cups grated cheese (cheddar or monterey jack are nice)
2 cups cottage cheese
4 green onions, sliced

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook onions, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add garlic, zucchini and carrot; cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, oregano and cumin; then mix in the refried beans.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large casserole dish, spread approx 1/2 cup salsa, then put down a layer of corn tortillas, cutting to fit if necessary. Spread with half of the refried beans/veggie mixture. Add another layer of tortillas. Spread with cottage cheese, green onions, and a handful of grated cheese. Put on another layer of tortillas, and spread with the rest of the bean mixture. Then add another layer of tortillas, and cover with a generous layer of salsa. Top with the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, till very bubbly and browned on top.

This recipe was adapted from Anne Lindsay's Bean and Veggie Burritos in her Lighthearted Everyday Cookbook; and inspired by the Pioneer Woman's White Chicken Enchiladas.

nope

This is not my newest, favouritest chocolate in the whole wide world.

It is not on sale for 50% off at my grocery store.

I did not buy two of them today.











I especially, most emphatically, did not eat a whole one this afternoon.

advent matchboxes, and the best meal I've made in a while

I covered twenty-four matchboxes with paper, painted them, and put little birdie inchies on each one.

Then I made  twenty-four little quilty bits, each with a button and a birdie charm stitched on.

And I wrote out my verse in little tiny letters... twenty-four times. Oh, were my fingers sore!!!

Then I put them all into a box and sent them off to Texas, where they'll get divided up between all twenty-four of us who participated, and we'll all end up with a set of matchboxes for our advent count-down.

I can't wait to see what the rest of them look like!

On another note, if you want to make the yummiest, most comforting food in the whole world, I strongly suggest that you head over to La Fuji Mama's blog and copy out the recipe for Niku-Jaga that she has posted there.

 

I served it with a side of brown rice and steamed carrots, and couldn't stop eating it. The recipe says it serves 4... that's generous. All 6 of us ate it for dinner, and then I had two more bowlfuls as an evening "snack", and two of us get some for lunch today as well. I'm totally adding this to my list of fall-back recipes!

sandwich

sandwich
Originally uploaded by whimsey

You know you're a blogger when, half-way through your lunch, you run for your camera to take a picture of your food...

This was the yummiest sandwich I've eaten in a while. A couple of slices of roast beef, some aged white cheddar, and some home-made onion chutney. Oh. My. Goodness.

The chutney recipe is from the Rebar cookbook; a book that has yet to provide a less than stellar dish. Seriously, everything I have made from it has been amazing. Sweet potato soup... roasted veggie salad... macaroni and cheese... citrus poppy seed cake... the list goes on. I think that everyone needs to have this book!

So, here's the recipe:

Onion Chutney
from rebar modern food cookbook

2 Tbsp butter
2 yellow onions, sliced or diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chile flakes
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp brown sugar
4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp cracked pepper

Heat butter in a pan over medium heat and add onions. Saute until translucent. Add salt, chile flakes and coriander and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook until the onions are very soft and creamy.

Enjoy!

the sound of...

Do they say ping? click? clunk?




















Whatever it is, it's the sound of happiness... of contentment... of anticipation... of domesticity, even.

11 half-pint jars of bread-and-butter pickles, and 7 pints of sandwich-ready sliced dills.

I can't wait!

cookies

Is this turning into a cooking blog, you might ask?
Don't know.
Cooking and baking is a passion of mine, but it's certainly not the only one.

So here's the recipe for cookies that were called "f***ing awesome" by the highschool kids last night. I found them in Frozen Assets by Deborah Taylor-Hough.


2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
4 cups flour
5 cups blended oatmeal*
3 cups chopped walnuts
24 oz chocolate chips
1 8-0z bar chocolate bar, grated (I just used more chocolate chips... who can be bothered grating a chocolate bar?)

*First measure the oatmeal, then blend into a fine powder in a food processor or blender.

Cream together butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Sift together and then stir in salt, baking powder, baking soda and flour. Stir in blended oats. Mix in chips, grated chocolate bar and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees.

This makes, as you might guess, a HUGE amount of cookies. I had to mix the dough in my roasting pan, since none of my bowls were big enough. I baked 5 dozen of the cookies, and put 9 dozen little dough balls in the freezer for a later date. Seriously. 14 dozen cookies.

And they're f***ing awesome!

of food and questions

the food...

I didn't think to take a picture of this *before* we started eating it... and soon there was absolutely none left. There was a small fight over who would get to scrape the pan.

Fridge-raid Pie

3 onions, peeled and cut into wedges
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped ham
1/4 cup flour
1.5 cups milk (or 3/4 cup milk + 3/4 cup chicken broth)
1 cup grated cheese (I used a 4-cheese Italian blend... I think sharp cheddar might have been better)
3 cups leftover mashed potatoes mixed with 1 head roasted garlic
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (approx.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Caramelize the onions in the olive oil (saute gently, stirring often so that they get well-cooked without browning - this usually takes at least 30 minutes. Don't try to rush it!) Add the ham and cook til it's heated through. Stir in the flour until it's completely absorbed by the oil in the pan. (Add more oil if necessary.) Slowly stir in the milk, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly til thickened. Pour into 2-qt baking dish. Put a layer of grated cheese over top, and then top that (carefully) with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes, til the cheese on top is golden, and the filling is bubbly.

Comfort food!!!

...and now the questions.
This is a shawl I made last week. The yarn is gorgeous... noro silk garden. I love the colours - to look at. D'oh! When am I going to figure out that although I love bright colours and multi-coloured objects, I. do. not. wear. them.
Ever.
Nor do I wear bulky chunky things around my neck.
On the other hand, when I'm cold, which is most of the time these days, I have been known to walk around the house with a blanket around my shoulders.
So, do I keep the thing? Frog it? Try a different style of shoulder-warmer? Dye it black (heaven forbid!)

the difference a day makes

Yesterday:




Today:
Four inches of snow fell here today.
Our 'bird treat' was very busy. I tried to take photos, but a combination of shooting through window and plastic, and skittish birds made for very blurry pictures. But you can make your own bird treat and watch your own birds... that's almost as fun...

1 cup almond butter
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup birdseed
1/2 apple, peeled, cored, and minced
1/2 cup raisins minced

Mix it all together and form into a ball. Shove it into a mesh produce bag, and hang up for the birds. Try to put it somewhere that squirrels can't get to, as they'll devour it in seconds.

Shrove Tuesday

Happy start of Lent.
This is the best crepe recipe I've ever tried... found it at allrecipes.com. Of course I have to increase it by a factor of 6 just to keep my family happy...

Basic Crepes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

Brewing

Two batches of mead, brewing on my kitchen desk. One is made of blackberry blossom honey, and the other is pumpkin blossom honey with cinnamon.

Have you ever had mead? It's like summer in a glass. Like sitting in the sunshine on a not-too-hot-but-just-hot-enough day, with no worries, just listening to the bees humming in the flowers.

But potent? Oh my sainted aunt, is it ever! You read about the Vikings quaffing it by the tankard full - if that's the case, then I have a very high respect for their ability to hold their liquor. It doesn't take much to help you drift off into a very sound, relaxing sleep.

Strawberries

My sister has a farm in Armstrong where she has a large strawberry patch. Mom went up this weekend and brought back a bucket of berries for me.

They were so ripe they turned my hands pink when I hulled and chopped them up. And despite sitting in a hot car for 5 hours and then waiting 2 days to be delivered to my house, there were only 3 or 4 moldy berries.

And now we have 9 jars of jam, tangy and full of berries, to be opened in the winter or given as Christmas presents. Yes, I'm starting to plan ahead.

another day

I've been feeling very contemplative lately. Learning to ask myself questions. Taking the time to answer them. Starting to (gasp!) analyze things rather than just react to them. Trying to be more intentional in my actions.

And though I'm trying not to use food to solve my emotional issues, it seemed like a good day for comfort food, the weather being the way it has been lately. So when I saw this recipe at everybody likes sandwiches I knew I had to make it. WOW was it good! I subbed in the veggies I had around, and used whole wheat flour for the biscuit topping, and it was simply amazingly good.

Question of the day: what's my relationship with my feelings?